Many aircraft include two-pilot flight crews. In many instances one pilot is referred to as the “pilot flying” (PF) and the other pilot is referred to as the “pilot monitoring” (PM). No matter the particular nomenclature used, the relative workloads of the PF and the PM are often asymmetric. Likewise, the experience levels of the two pilots may be asymmetric. There are instances in which the PM could reduce the workload of the PF, or vice versa, by assuming greater task responsibilities during high workload periods. Some airlines have instituted policies to alleviate the potential impact associated with asymmetric workloads. Typically, such policies are not automated and rely on explicit, albeit subjective, criteria to determine when one pilot should offload some tasks to the other.
Although the above-mentioned policies are workable and generally provide desired results, there is room for improvement. This is because there is evidence that some pilots, due to airline culture, authority hierarchies, cultural differences, personality, or other factors, may be reluctant to acknowledge that they are overloaded or fatigued. Moreover, pilots may simply not notice that the other pilot has become overloaded. Thus, the pilots forego a reallocation of tasks that could maintain a more optimal workload balance between the pilots.
Hence, there is a need for a system and method to objectively determine the workload and fatigue states of multi-pilot crews, notify the pilots, and recommend task sharing and/or automate lower order tasks, as needed. The present invention addresses at least this need.
Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background.